Trump tries to eliminate jurors over political social media posts

Former President Trump’s lawyers are using social media posts made by potential jurors and their spouses to try to exempt them from serving on the jury in his secret trial.

Lawyers played videos in Manhattan court on Tuesday, using the social media posts as a sign that jurors may have anti-Trump sentiments and therefore cannot be fair and impartial during a trial.

A juror who Trump’s lawyers tried to dismiss had a video posted to his Facebook that captured celebrations in upper Manhattan following President Biden’s statement on the 2020 election.

The juror said the celebrations she captured were reminiscent of the cheers for healthcare workers that erupted at night during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, according to a pool report.

However, she said that – “regardless of my thoughts about someone or something” a juror’s job is “to understand the facts of a trial and to be the judge of those facts. The judge did not dismiss her after she insisted she could still be an impartial juror.

“Yesterday… people left because they thought they couldn’t,” she added. “I don’t believe that at all.” The judge thanked her and she walked back down the hall and out of the courtroom.

A second juror, however, was dismissed with cause for a social media post that celebrated Trump’s legal loss due to a travel ban enacted while he was president.

“Good news!! Trump lost court battle over illegal travel ban!!!” the juror wrote, according to the group. “Get him out of here and lock him up.”

“This is a person who has expressed a desire … for Mr. Trump to be arrested,” Merchan said, adding that if Trump is found guilty, he will face a potential prison sentence, according to the group.

The prosecutor’s office asked the juror if he still believed Trump should be arrested, to which the man responded “no.” Trump then craned his neck toward the juror and gave him a mischievous smile, according to pool reporters.

Social media posts by a potential juror’s husband have drawn scrutiny from Trump’s lawyers.

Blanche pointed to social media a post showing a character from “The Simpsons” with Trump’s head in his hands, a post depicting Trump and former President Obama that the judge said referenced “Orange is the New Black.” and a post showing “The Avengers unite against Trump.”

Steinglass suggested that the posts, made in 2016 by the juror’s husband, were “humorous.” But Merchan joked that “it’s not very good humor.”

The judge declined further investigation, noting that the posts did not involve the juror and were made more than eight years ago. He said “if this is the worst thing you can find about this juror,” it inspires confidence in her ability to be fair and impartial.

Zach Schonfeld contributed.